Some quite good stories, but the interweaving of them to provide a holistic sense of closure to the previous stories from the "Murderer?" and "Fugitive" arc is somewhat weaker than in the previous volumes. The main story concerns wrapping up the arc of Wayne's bodyguard Sasha, and it's a good, gripping tale with some nice character work. It's also what opens the volume. Considering that several months explicitly pass during this story, and that the later, shorter stories are set much closer in time to the previous "Fugitive" volume, I strongly feel that the latter half or so of this story should have been moved to the end of the volume, using the other, shorter stories as interludes while time passes in the main one. That would not only have preserved an internal sense of chronology for the book, but have let the story end on the tracks in the snow, and the wonderful emotional beat they bring with them.

Oh well. The story that actually does end the book, with Cassandra Cain's Batgirl bonding with the father she chose rather than the one she was born to, is a close second emotionally, and does bring a certain sense of closure. Even so, the aftermath gathered in volume 3 remains in my eyes the weakest instalment in this four paperback Batman saga -- a shame, considering that Sasha's fate and closure shown here is a satisfying finale to the strongest emotional arc the earlier volumes were setting up. ( )

Bruce Wayne may be a free man, but the story is not over. Cain, an assassin, and the new Batgirl's father, confesses to the crime. His motivation is a combination of personal reasons and orders from high up in the federal government. The government part wanted to frame Bruce Wayne. Going after Batman was the personal part. Cain is in prison, but there are some who would prefer him dead, so Batman now has to keep him alive as another assassin targets Cain. Also, Sasha, Wayne's former bodyguard, apparently dies in prison, only her body goes missing. Is she really dead? All these plots are finally resolved in the last volume of the series. While not as good as the previous two, mostly because it is wrapping loose ends, it is still a good story, and it is well worth reading. Overall, this was one of the best Batman series I have read in a while. Good overall characterization along with plenty of action. ( )

Quite a mixed bag here, but a good one. Sasha Bordeaux, Bruce Wayne's bodyguard, convicted falsely of conspiracy to kill the woman Bruce Wayne was originally suspected of killing, is sprung from prison (faked death) by a secret justice organization, Checkmate, and given a new identity. Batman nonetheless tracks her down, in a sequence that ably shows the near-awe that groups like Checkmate hold him in. Sasha and Bruce have a reunion that brings out the hidden feelings in both of them, and she returns to Checkmate. The second story shows some of the humanity in Bruce Wayne, rarely displayed, and the humanity in Batman, newly appearing. The third story is about Batman's efforts to protect Cain, the new Batgirl's foster father and assassin trainer, as he nears grand jury testimony, and again reveals hidden humanity in both Batman and Cassandra (Batgirl). ( )